1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to the cleaning of a body of a liquid and in particular to an apparatus for cleaning debris from a swimming pool.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Removal of debris such as leaves, pieces of paper, stones, blades of grass and the like from swimming pools, and the dislodging of dust and dead algae from the walls and floor of a swimming pool are continual problems. Many devices are known for cleaning swimming pools, many of them being automatic in operation. Some of these automatic apparatus operate on a suction principle and others on a pressure principle. A number of these apparatus that operate on a pressure principle have been patented and the following U.S. patents are representative: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,281,995--Pansini, 4,040,864--Steeves, 3,032,044--Pansini, 4,087,286--Sexton, 4,503,874--Norton, 4,289,155--Sabie, 3,295,540--Ortega, 3,261,371--Vernon and 4,429,429--Altschul.
The patents listed above disclose automatic cleaning apparatus that work on the pressure principle. Some of these apparatus such as that described in Altschul and Steeves show a bag for collecting debris. The bags are secured to the ends of hoses, and the bags are propelled through the water by means of water jets located at the ends of the hoses. The other apparatus have flagellating hoses that whip about in the pool to disturb dirt and hold it in suspension to be removed by a filtration system of the pool. Several of these patents show these flagellating hoses supported by floating units. The floating units are propelled about the surface of the pool thereby moving the flagellating hoses about in the pool.
A prime requirement for all swimming pool cleaning apparatus is that the apparatus must move as randomly as possible through the pool and must not get stuck in corners, on steps, or be caught by items such as drains that project into the pool.